August f



(No Model.)

A. F. & W. MEISSELBACH.

FISHING ROD HOLDER.

No. 388,433. Patented Aug. 28, 1888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST F. MEISSELBAOH AND W'ILLIAM MEISSELBAOH, OF NEYVARK, NEW JERSEY.

FISHING-ROD HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 388,433, dated August28, 1888.

Application filed Mav 5 1888. Serial No. 272,963. (No model.)

support the rod adjustablyin any desired position, and which is adaptedto be attached to the seat or gunwale of a boat, or to any othersuitable object, and also to provide a holder from which the fishing rodmaybe quickly detached when desired.

The invention consists, partly, in the corn bination, with a standardand rod'carrier, of a joint of particular construction for connectingthe same; partly in a special construction for the device for fasteningthe holder upon a suitable support; partly in a particular means forholding the rod within the carrier, and in other details ofconstruction.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 isa plan of the holder; Fig. 2, a sideView of the same with the handle of a fishing-rod held therein. Fig. 3is an end View of the fastening or clamping device and standard. Fig. 4is an elevation of the front end of the rod-carrier, and Fig. 5 asimilar view of the rear end of the same.

The carrier consists of two arms joined together at their inner ends,the arm a having an upwardly-projecting fork, a, at its outer end, andthe arm of having a fork, a projecting downwardly from its outer end,the arm a being bent laterally to avoid interference with thefishing-rod handle. Such carrier is provided at thejuuction of the armsa a with a split socket, 1), formed with one halfintegral with the sameand the other half consisting of a removable cap secured to the latter.Both halves of the socket are provided with ears at each side of thesame, and a screw or rivet, b is inserted through the said cars on oneside, and a clamp-screw, I), provided with a thumbpiece, is insertedthrough the cars at the other side of the socket to clamp the two halvestogether.

c is a standard having at its upper end a ball, (1, upon which the splitsocket is clamped by means of the screws 1) N. In practice, afterinserting the screw Z) -through the ears 0, we adjust the pressure ofthe socket upon the balld entirely by means of the lBlI tlmb'SCIBW b,which requires a very slight movement in order to perform its function,as the leverage through which it acts is very small, and conse quentlythe spring of the metal forming the cars is inappreeiable. The standardis forked at its lower-end, and between the forks c is pivoted at c theclamp-yoke 6, provided with a clamp-screw, 6. Seats o'and o are formedupon the lower edge and one side of each of the forks a of the standard.The clamp yoke and screw, in conjunction with the seats 0 0, form thefastening device of the holder.

To prevent the rod from springing out of the holder, which action mightbe caused by catching the fishing-line so as to bend the rodconsiderably and the sudden release of the same, a leaf spring, 8, ispivoted at one end upon the top of the fork a and a fork, 8', formed onits free end. The fork s is shown herein formed integral with the spring8. When the rod is in position in the holder, the spring is swungaround, so as to lie directly over the same, to press it downwardagainst the fork a and prevent its displacement.

To prevent the chafing of the handle of the fishing-rod, the forks a,and a are preferably covered with rubber tubing a, or other suitablematerial.

It is immaterial to our invention what means is employed for fasteningthe standard upon a suitable support, instead of that shown herein,since the essential feature of the invention is the combination, withthc standard and carrier, of a ball-and-socket joint constructed asabove described for connecting the same.

It is evident from the above description that the seat 0 may be omittedwithout departing from our invention, although the exact constructionshown herein for such device is preferable, since the holder may by itsuse be clamped upon a vertical support, as shown in Fig. 2in dottedlines, as well as to a horizontal support.

By pivoting the clamp-yoke at the lower end of the standard 0, theclamp-screw will as sume a position perpendicular to the lower surfaceof the support upon which the holder is to be clamped, while the seats 0and 0 will naturally assume the position that will give the largestbearing therefor upon the said support when the device is operated. Itis therefore immaterial whether the support to which the holder isapplied have a regular form, as in the case of the seat ofa boat, or anirregular form, as the limb of a tree. In either case the holder can beclamped firmly thereto.

When the device is in use, the rod is placed in the forks a a" and thespring 8 brought to bear upon the same. The ball-and-socket jointDeing'thcn loosened by means of the thumb-screw'b', the rod and thecarrier are permitted to be revolved or inclined in any direction, andthus brought into the desired position.

It will benoticed by reference to Fig. 2 that the fork s on the springbears upon the rod at a point somewhat beyond the fork a, and thus itstendency is to press the same down ward upon the fork a and upwardwithin the fork a By the use of the special arrangement of the arms ofthe carrier shown herein the rod may be disengaged from the holder veryquickly, when desired, as it is exposed at all parts eX- cept within thenarrow forks a a.

lBhe forks a, a ands are shaped like the letter V, so as to form anaccurate bearing for a rod of any size.

We are aware that it is not essentially new to form a split socketadapted to be clamped upon a ball fitted thereto upon a stand requir ingtobe adjusted at different angles, as such construction is shown inUnited States Patent No. 180,881; but our construction differs from thelatter in having one half of the socket integral with the carrier andapplying a cap thereto, and in providing both parts of the socket withears diametrically opposite each other,so that when clamped thereto bymeans of the screws passing through such ears there will be a positivepressure upon the ball, and notayielding pressure,such as would becaused by clamping the two parts of the socket together only on oneside,as in the construction shown in the above-mentioned patent.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim herein is 1. In afishing-rod holder, the combination,

with the standard provided with a fastening device at its lower endand'a ball at its upper end formed integral therewith, of a carrierprovided with arms for supporting the fishingrod, and a split socket atthejunction of such arms, one half of the said socket being formedintegral with the carrier, and the other half consisting of a removablecap secured thereto by means of cars r upon both halves of the splitsocket, and screws b and b substantially as shown and described.

2. In a fishing-rod holder,the combination, with a standard forked atits lower end and provided with a seat, 0, of a clamp-yoke pivotedthereto and provided with a clamp-screw, as and for the purpose setforth.

In a fishin'grod holder,the combination. with the standard 0, forked atits lower end and having seats 0 0 thereon, of the clampyoke e,pivotedthereto and provided with the clamp-screw c, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth;

4. In a fishing-rod holder-,the combination, with the carrier havingarms a a ,provided,respectively, with forks aand a, of a standardconnected to such carrier by means of a balland-socket joint constructedas described,and a fastening device upon the base of the standard, asand for the purpose set forth.

5. In a fishing-rod holder, the combination, with the carrier havingarms a a,p1ovidcd,respcctively,with forks Ma, having a covering, a, asdescribed, of a standard connected to such carrier by means of aball-and-socketjoint constructed as deseribed,and afastening device uponthe base of the standard, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a fishingrod holder, the combination, with the carrier having armsaaZprovided espectively, with forks a a of a leafspring, s, pivoted atone end upon the fork a and having a fork, s, secured to its other end,as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

AUGUST F. MEISSELBAOH. YVILLIAM MEISSELBACH.

\Vitnesses:

H. J. MILLER, F. O. FISCHER.

